The problem with the two of them, of course, mainly centered on Ryder.
Ryder was truly… lazy and incompetent.
His strength as a Level 1 sailor was already the biggest drag on the ship, and he still preferred to slack off, letting Ryan do most things for him.
If their cooperation didn’t affect the overall progress, then Sules wouldn’t want to meddle in their affairs.
But Ryan’s opponent was Adolph, who was far stronger than him.
Ryan himself was already struggling, so how could he help Ryder?
Before, Ryan had planned to follow Sules’s suggestion and let Ryder help him.
But every time he went over, he ended up getting tied down by Ryder, not only having to fish but also having to help Ryder move fish.
After going back and forth like this, even before Sules could say anything, Ryan’s body couldn’t take it anymore, and he fell ill in bed.
This truly angered Sules. She didn’t confront Ryan first; instead, she went straight to Ryder.
She found Ryder in the cabin, looking for medicine.
However, what should have been a scene of brotherly love, he was instead muttering quietly while searching, “Why get sick for no reason? Leeching off my life, getting sick yourself, and even bothering me to find medicine, truly useless!”
His voice was very low, so Sules could only vaguely hear a little.
But she wasn’t very interested in the brothers’ backstory, so she just knocked on the door, leaned against the doorframe, and said coolly, “Ryder Bruce, come with me for a moment. I have some questions for you.”
Ryder’s body stiffened.
He didn’t know when Sules had arrived or how much she had heard of his complaints.
But seeing Sules’s cold face, he didn’t dare ask more and sheepishly followed her into the inner room.
The cabin had four beds and two rooms.
The inner room was where Sules and Claire stayed, and others usually weren’t allowed in. Ryder was a bit curious, entering for the first time.
Sules felt annoyed seeing him still looking like he didn’t know what was happening.
She didn’t directly question his work efficiency but changed her approach, “Do you think your brother getting sick has anything to do with you?”
Ryder wasn’t an idiot. Hearing this, he nodded, “Maybe I’ve troubled him too much before, and it wore him out.”
Sules said, “If that’s the case, have you thought of any solutions? Otherwise, if it always stays like this, it will be a major impact on our ship’s overall efficiency.”
Ryder said nonchalantly, “Don’t worry, Captain. Ryan will be fine once he adjusts.”
Sules’s mouth twitched.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
After thinking for a bit, she spoke again, “Then why don’t you try to improve yourself? Stop letting your brother help you? Wouldn’t that be better?”
Hearing this, Ryder’s expression surprisingly became somewhat agitated, “He owes me all that! Why shouldn’t he help me? If it weren’t for him…”
“Ryder!”
Before Ryder could finish, Ryan’s weak voice cut in, interrupting him.
Ryan walked in somewhat weakly and angrily said to Sules, “Captain, whatever you have against me, don’t make it difficult for my brother.”
Sules sneered, “I’m making it difficult for him? Why don’t you say you two are making it difficult for me? Do you know how expensive medicinal ingredients are in the East Continent? You getting sick, just the medicine consumed, is enough to equal a month of your wages. This doesn’t even count the lost benefits to our ship because you can’t work.”
When she put it that way, Ryan’s anger subsided, replaced by apology, “Sorry, Captain, I…”
Sules raised her hand to stop him: “Don’t you find that phrase familiar? My ears are calloused from hearing it. You and your brother’s efficiency on the ship are already the lowest. I’ve given you a lot of leeway because I understand your difficulties.”
Ryan felt even more guilty upon hearing this.
He also knew that as a fisherman, he himself was inferior to the other fisherman on the ship.
His brother was even worse, basically relying entirely on his help.
In such circumstances, Sules not saying anything before was already good enough for him.
“I will work harder from now on, and I promise not to hold the whole ship back.”
Ryan hesitated for a long time, only able to say this.
Sules saw that he hadn’t gotten to the point at all and shook her head, initially wanting to scold him.
But the words stopped at her lips.
Her eyes darted, and she pretended to relent, “Alright, I’ll give you another chance. After you recover, work extra hard. You can’t drag the fleet down again.”
Ryan nodded repeatedly and, supported by his brother, left with a pale face.
After they left, Sules sat alone on the bed, lost in thought.
***
~ Unraveling Ryder’s Secret ~
In the evening, Sules learned that Ryan had gone to sleep.
Patients naturally expend more energy, so going to bed early was normal.
She nodded, indicating that everyone should leave Ryan undisturbed, then found Ryder alone.
The two walked onto the deck.
Sules, feeling the sea breeze, casually said, “I didn’t mean to criticize you today, but your brother is genuinely much more diligent than you.”
As she spoke, she watched Ryder’s reaction.
Sure enough, Ryder’s face showed imbalance, his mouth opening and closing, clearly wanting to speak but holding back.
She pressed on, “You’re clearly brothers, so why is there such a huge difference in your personalities? Ryan has sacrificed too much for you…”
Her words hit home.
Ryder immediately exploded, “He sacrificed a lot for me? You don’t know what I’ve sacrificed for him!”
Sules, fearing he would wake Ryan with his loud voice, shushed him, “Keep your voice down. I’m very curious, what have you sacrificed for Ryan? From what we’ve seen, it’s always Ryan sacrificing for you.”
“I…”
Ryder clearly wanted to speak but seemed to be holding back for some reason.
Sules whispered persuasively, “If you don’t say it, who will know the truth? Ryan will only claim all the credit himself, and you’ll be molded by him into a lazy, freeloading giant baby who can only rely on his brother to survive.”
Her gestures, combined with her tone and expression, conveyed a convincing impression.
Sules had learned this from studying various public speaking videos, to be more persuasive when training employees.
Sules admitted that she was indeed using Ryder, sowing discord.
But at her core, she was a capitalist.
Her usual laid-back demeanor was only because there was nothing that required her intervention; in those times, she could simply be a simple girl.
But now, first, Ryan and Ryder’s problem affected her interests.
Second, there was clearly some secret hidden behind them, which might hold greater benefits.
Under these circumstances, her true capitalist nature naturally revealed itself—unscrupulous for profit.
Ryder was indeed moved by her words.
After hesitating for a while, he leaned closer to Sules’s ear and whispered, “Captain, I’ll tell you everything, but you absolutely must not spread it.”
Sules, however, did not nod.
She disliked lying; integrity was paramount for a merchant.
Sowing discord and exaggerating facts could only be considered cunning tactics, part of a merchant’s game.
But if she lied, she would truly become a black-hearted merchant.
***
“That might not work, though,” Sules said seriously, surprising Ryder.
“If what you’re saying involves the interests of our ship, then I definitely need to discuss it with the crew.”
“But you can rest assured,” Sules added, seeing Ryder’s hesitation.
“I can try my best to keep your brother from knowing about this.”
Ryder fell into hesitation again.
While Sules’s inability to guarantee confidentiality caused him some concern, Ryder had been holding it in for too long; he desperately wanted to confide in someone.
Finally, he seemed to make up his mind, “This information shouldn’t affect our ship, so Captain, you don’t need to tell anyone.”
Sules looked at him with encouragement, nodding with a smile, but made no promises.
Ryder didn’t notice this and continued his story.
“When my brother was little, he was always sickly, getting ill every day. Our parents hired doctors to visit, and they all said my brother wouldn’t live past eight.”
Sules was slightly surprised, as Ryan looked very robust, showing no signs of being sickly.
Ryder gave a self-deprecating laugh, “Does it sound unbelievable? But it’s true. When Ryan was seven, his health deteriorated. Mom and Dad were frantic, but helpless.”
He looked up at the starry sky, his gaze somewhat lost, “I still clearly remember that day. Mom and Dad seemed to have made a decision. They called me and my brother together, then used a blue pen—the kind I’d only seen in the Sea God’s Temple—to draw on the ground, forming a circular array.”
As the story grew increasingly fantastical, Sules’s expression became more serious.
“Mom and Dad had my brother and me stand on opposite sides of the formation. Young as I was, I didn’t yet know how much this formation would affect my life.”
Sules couldn’t help but guess, “This formation can swap your physiques with your brother’s?”
But she quickly refuted herself, “No, your physique doesn’t look that weak.”
Ryder was a bit annoyed at being interrupted, “Do you want to hear this or not?”
Sules quickly raised her hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, my bad. Please continue.”
Ryder then continued, “That formation allowed my brother and me to share life, but the stronger one had to consume talent and potential.”
He used a slightly grim expression to justify himself, “So it’s not that I’m incompetent because I’m lazy; it’s because too much of my potential was consumed. And Ryan helping me isn’t because he’s good; he owes me!”
Sules’s expression shifted as he finished speaking.
She wondered how Ryder’s family, just ordinary fishermen, had obtained such a miraculous formation.
She concealed the thoughts in her eyes, quickly adjusted her expression, and showed a sympathetic look, “So that’s how it is! You’ve really had a terrible time, being misunderstood for so long.”
Ryder, finally feeling understood, was somewhat touched and said even more self-righteously, “I sacrificed so much for my brother, but couldn’t say it. I know you all think my parents favored me, but in reality, they favored my brother the most, otherwise they wouldn’t have let me endure so much injustice for nothing!”
A hint of sarcasm appeared on Sules’s face; she didn’t agree with Ryder’s words.
But this expression was fleeting, immediately returning to sympathy the next second.
She nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with him, as if she truly empathized.
Once Ryder got carried away, Sules subtly guided the conversation towards what interested her, “Then have you ever thought about using this formation to get your potential back?”